After a Lithuanian court sentenced 67 former Soviet military officers for crimes against humanity in a failed January 1991 crackdown on the country’s pro-democracy drive, Russia has lashed out at the “illegal act,” although the claim fails under international law and historical circumstances.

Yury Ushakov

Russian presidential assistant

“During the last few months the situation around the Korean peninsula has somewhat stabilized, and it became possible mainly thanks to the North Korea’s initiative to renounce nuclear missile testing and the closure of a nuclear test site.”

While Yury Ushakov’s claim that North Korea declared it would renounce nuclear weapons tests and close the test site is correct, Pyongyang’s later actions cast doubt on its commitment to denuclearization as well as its role in stabilizing the situation on Korean peninsula.

Dmitry Medvedev

Russian prime minister

“Despite the sanctions, the portfolio of military orders for Russian military equipment continues to be very significant. It is now estimated at $54.5 billion. There are more than 100 countries among Russia's partners.”

The report by the special counsel on Russian interference in the 2016 election does contain evidence that Russia interfered in the election in several ways. However, much of the evidence establishing interference came in earlier indictments by Mueller and the U.S. Intelligence Community’s reports.

Sergey Lavrov

Russia’s foreign minister

“When Montenegro and Macedonia were out of the blue dragged into NATO, the situation with Macedonia’s name was used in a brazen manner. They held a referendum organized in gross violation of the constitution, which in Macedonia requires a referendum to put forward only one question, but they put forward three: do you want to be a member of the European Union, a member of NATO, and are you ready to change the name of the country for that. In general, a fraudulent question, of course.”

The referendum on North Macedonia’s name was called according to the country's constitution. Candidates for NATO membership must apply to join the Alliance, not the other way round. Macedonia had met the criteria for NATO membership ten years before receiving an invitation.

Alexander Yakovenko

Russian ambassador to the UK

“That’s the story of the British press and also the government, but unfortunately it’s not supported by the facts. First of all they gave an interview with Russian television and they said officially they are not part of the GRU … Second, the British side could have an opportunity to question them, but they were never asked for that.”

Russia’s ambassador to the UK recently spoke with Sky News to refute claims that Moscow was behind the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury, England. But while Yakovenko says there is no proof to back up the British claims, the facts show otherwise.

Margarita Simonyan

Managing editor of RT and Rossiya Segodnya

“Kindly Ecuador, which today surrendered Assange to the police, demanded that the British not extradite him to the country where he faces death penalty – i.e. the States. A few years ago Assange told me the UK will extradite him to Sweden and [from] Sweden to the U.S. Precisely where he is under the threat of the death penalty.”

Russian state media managing editor's claim is baseless: at this point, the maximum punishment for the charges brought against Assange in the U.S. is five years imprisonment. Besides, in the U.S. justice system, a person is innocent until proven guilty.

Sergey Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister

“The reason for the Libyan crisis lies in NATO’s actions in 2011. Precisely since that time, Libya has turned into a failed state and a ’black hole,’ through which terrorists, the smuggling of weapons, go south, and to the north - flows of illegal migrants.”

While there are varying opinions on the legality and effect of NATO’s intervention in Libya, NATO was not the cause of the crisis in Libya. NATO’s Operation Unified Protector was launched in response to a UN resolution regarding the ongoing civil war there.

Dmitry Peskov

Russian Presidential Spokesman

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has said more than once that for settling the conflict in Donbass the most important thing is not dialogue with Moscow, because Moscow is not a party to this conflict. It is an intra-Ukrainian conflict and it is up to the Ukrainians to settle it, if they talk to each other."

Ukrainian presidential hopeful Volodymyr Zelenskiy opened the door to talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in eastern Ukraine. Putin’s spokesman said talks would be fine, although “Moscow is not a party to the conflict.” The facts show otherwise.

The ships that NATO nations are providing to the Ukrainian navy technologically are more advanced and in a better shape than most of the Soviet-made vessels in Russia’s own navy. Experts say the NATO-provided ships significantly enhance the Ukrainian navy’s capabilities.

Apart from the rhetoric of a former CIA director, the U.S. Justice Department confirmed in writing that Snowden never faced capital punishment. Lavrov falsely connects the Magnitsky Act to the Snowden affair.